Cabinets



Jan. 29, 1957 H. E. ELSDEN-KING ETAL 2,779,653

CABINETS Filed Dec. 21, 1954 3 SheetsSheet l //V l/ENTORJ;

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ATTOENEYS Jan. 29, 1957 H. E. ELSDEN-KING ETAL ,5

CABINETS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1954 ATTORNE Y5 Jan. 29, 1957 H. E. ELSbEN-KING EI'AL 2,779,653

CABINETS Filed Dec. 21, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNE Y5 CABINETS Herbert E. Elsden-King and Stanley Richard Gittins, London, England, assignors to Tipdex (Holdings) Limited, London, England, a British company Application December 21, 1954, Serial No. 476,782 Claims priority, application Great Britain January 14, 1954 15 Claims. (Cl. 312-326) This invention relates to cabinets such as filing cabinets comprising a casing containing one or more box-like containers which can be pulled partly out of the casing for removal and insertion of papers or other contents.

The containers are commonly in the form of drawers and have the well known disadvantages that files therein cannot easily be seen at all heights, and when the containers are pulled out the cabinet may tip over upon the user.

According to the present invention the container is mounted tiltably within the casing at a support position below its tilting position, means being provided for causing the support position of the container to move rearwardly into the casing as the upper front end of the container is moved forwardly and downwardly.

The arrangement is preferably such that the centre of gravity is forwardly of tilting position when the container is open and rearwardly of the tilting position when the container is closed, the front wall of the container is approximately vertical when the container is closed and at least 30 degrees to the horizontal when open, the centre of gravity being within the casing at all times.

The movement of the container may be such that the side elevational area of the container moves outside the area of the casing by at least ten percent but not more than twenty-five percent during opening. In a preferred constructional form of the invention the container carries side projections slidably resting on carrier surfaces mounted on the casing below the tilting position of the container, coacting abutment means being provided on the container and casing whereby the projections are caused to slide rearwardly as the container is opened and the projections are caused to move forwards as the container is closed.

The above and other features of the invention will now be described with reference to the examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet made in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a view thereof partly in side elevation but parts being shown broken away to disclose certain interior parts;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 on Figure 2;

. Figure 4 is a view similar to part of Figure 2 but showing a modified construction;

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Figure 4 but indicating the principle of the invention; and

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are again views similar to Figure 2 but showing further modifications.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 3, the cabinet illustrated is intended for use as an office filing cabinet and com prises a rectangular casing formed of a rear wall 10, side walls 11, 12, base 13 and top 14.

Four box-like containers are mounted in vertical series in the casing so that the front walls 15 of the containers are vertical in the closed positions and form the closure nited States Patent 0 to the casing. The container also has side walls 16, 17 the upper edges 18 of which (in the closed position) are included with their rear ends lowermost, a base 19 similarly inclined, and a rear wall 20. The container hasa central partition 21 extending front to back and transverse spacer walls 22. The container is wide enough to contain two sets of foolscap or quarto files end to end so that the cabinet is shallow front to back. Handles 23 are provided at the upper central part of the front walls by pulling which the containers can be opened.

Each of the side walls 11, 12 of the casing carry for each container at more or less horizontal carrier surface or first abutment 25 below the tilting position of thecontainer as will be more fully described hereinafter. The container carries coacting means in the form of a projection or bar 26 at each side which has a rounded lower end resting on the surface 25. The abutment 25 extends some distance from front to rear and is curved upwards at both ends, and forms a second abutment 27 on which the bar 26 pivots as the container is tilted towards its open position so that the container adjacent the lower part of the bar 26 is caused to move rearwardly. The rear upwardly curved part similarly forms a third abutment 23 on which the bar 26 pivots as the container is closed and causes the lower end of. the bar to move forwardly. The upwardly extending abutments continue upwardly to form further abutments 3d, 31 which limit the tilting movements of the container by contact of the upper parts of the bars 26 therewith. The abutments 25, 27, 28, 3d, 31 are in the form of an integral piece of metal having flanges 32 to facilitate attachment to the casing by welding.

By this construction the containers having a tilting movement about a horizontal tilting position or axis 34 (Figure 2) which axis is approximately fixed. The carrier surfaces 25 are below the axis.

The pivot bars may be 6 to 10 inches long and the lower abutment surface may be one or three inches in length. The abutments 3b, 31 are at an angle of 15 to 30 degrees to the vertical according to the amount of movement required for the container. The abutments 30, 31 are at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees to each other so that the bar 26 has a movement in relation to the abutments of 30 to 60 degrees and during its forward tilting movement the lower end of the bar moves back into the casing about one half to two inches, i. e. about 10 to 25 percent of the depth of the container.

The depth of the casing need only be about half an inch, or may be up to two inches, greater than the depth of the container.

The lower ends of the arms 26 are disposed near the lower end of the container and forwardly of the vertical centre line of the container in side view in closed position, and the upper ends are disposed near the upper end of the container and rearwardly of said centre line. Each arm may be replaced by two or more spaced strips representing the edges of the arm.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 4 the container has at each side a structure 4!) corresponding to the bar 26 but resting pivotally in an arcuate depression 41 in a slide 42 that sits on the upper edge of a plate 43 that constitutes the carrier surface and is carried by the casing. The slide 42 may be dispensed with allow ing the structure 46 to slide directly on carrier surface of 43. The container at each side carries a pin 44 located in a vertical guide slot 45 in a plate 46 fixed to the casing so that the pins move up and down the slots during the opening and closing movements of the container. The stops in the construction consist of stop bars 48 on the container engaging stops St) on the casing to limit the opening movement and a stop51 on the casing to limit the closing movement.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the action and principle of the constructions of Figures 1 to 4. Thus there is a carrier surface 54 on the casing and a projection 55 on the container. In the open position (Figure -7) of the container the position of 55 is rearwardly of the tilting position or axis of the container and rearwardly of the centre of gravity of the container whether empty or full of documents. Consequently the container moves gravitationally to its open position, and stays open by gravity. As the container is closed it moves through a position (Figure 6) in which the tilting axis 44 and centre of gravity is vertically above the supporting position 55. When the container closes (Figure the axis 44 and centre of gravity is rearwardly of the support position and the container therefore completes its closing movement gravitationally. The centre of gravity may be anywhere in the triangle 56 shown in these figures, the angle of'which at 55 represents the amount of angular movement of the container from its open to its closed positi'on. thus is opened and closed with but light pressure. The stops which determine the open and closed positions may of course be in numerous other positions.

In the modification shown in Figure 8 a similar effect is achieved with a different construction.

The container is supported at each side by a pair of arms 60, 61 one of which at its lower end pivotally carries the container on an axis 62 at or near the base 19 and forwardly of the mid plane from side to side of the container, and has its upper end pivotally mounted at 63 in the casing of the cabinet near the top of the container. The second arm (61) has its forward end pivoted at 64 to the lower end of an arm 169 the upper end of which is also pivoted at 63 to the casing. The rear end of the arm 61 is pivoted at 65 to the container at or near its rear wall 20.

The main supporting axis 62 in end view is in the second quarter of the depth front to rear of the container and may be in the form of a rod passing below the container. The length of the arm 60 may be 8 to 12 inches. The second arm 61 may be 3 to 6 inches in length and its rear end may be in the form of a rod passing along the rear wall of the container in the middle third of the height of the container. The arm 61 extends forwardly and slightly downwardly but is extended upwardly at the front quarter or third of its length. As the container opens the rear end of the second arm'61 moves upwardly and forwardly while the first arm 60 moves rearwardly. The effect is similar to that described with reference to Figures 5, 6 and 7.

Stop means for limiting the closing movements may be provided by a pair of channel members 165 secured to the inside of the side walls of the casing with the flanges extending inwardly towards each other. These channels are vertical and at about the mid third of the depth front to rear. The lower ends of the first arms 60 may carry leather or other blocks 66 within the channels which engage the forward flanges in the closed position. The rear'fianges have cut out strips 68 which are bent back and fixed by webs or struts 69 and form stops engaged by the second arms 61 in the closed position. The front ends of the second arms extend through the cut out openings, or other abutments as may be fixed to the casing. The arms 60 engage stops 167 on the casing to limit the opening movement.

As shown in Figure 9 the rearward movement of the lower part of the container during opening can be achieved by means (at each side) of a pair of pinions 79, '71. 71 is mounted pivotally on the container. The pinions mesh with each other, the lower pinion 71 also meshing with a rack 72 on the casing. Plates 73 slide along the racks 72 and are attached to spindles of the pinions 71.

In the further alternative shown in Figure 10 one of the arms of Figure 8 is replaced by a pin 73 and slot The container thus swings over a dead centre and Pinion is fixed to the container and pinion 74 guide means between the container and easing. If desired the other am "also "could be replaced by 'ap'in and slot means.

We claim:

1. A cabinet comprising a casing and a container, the container being mounted tiltably within the casing at a support position below its tilting position, means being provided for causing the support position of the container to move rearwardly into the casing as the upper front end of the container is moved forwardly and downwardly.

2. A cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the centre of gravity is located forwardly of the support position when the container is open and rearwardly of the container when the container is closed, the front wall of the container is approximately vertical when the container is closed and at least 30 degrees to the horizontal when open, the centre of gravity being within the casing at all times.

3. A cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the movement of the container is such that the side elevational area of the container moves outside the area of the casing by at least ten per cent but not more than twenty five percent during opening.

4. A cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container carries side projections slidably resting on carrier surfaces mounted on the casing below the tilting posi tion of the container, coacting abutment means being provided on the container and easing whereby the projections are caused to slide rearwardly as the container is opened and the projections are caused to move forward as the container is closed.

5. A cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein the abutment means comprise pins and guideways.

6. A cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein the projections rest pivotally in slides that run slidably on said carrier surfaces.

7. A cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein the side projections are in the form of bars which pivot on abutments on the casing as the container is tilted towards its open position whereby the container is moved rearwardly.

8. A cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein the side projections are in the form of bars which pivot on abutments on the casing as the container is tilted towards its open position whereby the container is moved rearwardly and third and fourth abutment elements to limit the to and fro movements of the lower end of the bar a fifth abutment constituting a stop to limit the forward tilting movement of the container by contact of the upper ,part of the bar therewith and a sixth abutment serves to limit the return movement of the container also by engagement with the upper part of the bar.

9. A cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side projections are in the form of bars which pivot on abutments on the casing as the container is tilted towards its open position whereby the container is moved rearwardly and third and fourth abutment elements to limit the to and fro movements of the lower end of the bar.

10. A cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container is carried pivotally on a horizontal pivot at or near the base of the container and forwardly of the mid plane from side to side thereof which pivot moves rearwardly into the casing as the container is opened.

11. A cabinet as claimed in claim 10 wherein the pivot is carried at the lower ends of a pair of arms the upper ends of which are pivoted to the casing near the upper end of the container.

12. A cabinet as claimed in claim 10 wherein the container is connected to another horizontal pivot at the rear of the containerin the middle third of its height which pivot is carried by arms the forward ends of which are pivotally attached to the container.

13. A cabinet as claimed in claim 10 wherein the container is also guided by a pin and slot connection with the casing.

14. A- cabinet as claimed in claim 1 having pinions carried by the container and meshing with idle pinions References Cited in the file of this patent that in turn mesh with racks on the casing whereby the UNITED STATES PATENTS casing at its pmlon pivot are moved rearwardly as the 2,420,010 Paxton et a1. y 1947 container is opened.

15. A cabinet comprising a casing and a container, 5 2420011 Paxton et May 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS means for mounting the casing tiltably Within the container, said means including coacting parts on the casing and container respectively, said coacting parts being 24,411 Great Bfltalfl 26, 1915 shaped and positioned to cause a rise and fall of the container as it moves from the closed to the open position. 10 

